Chapter 1824: Chapter 1762: Mutiny

Ah Jiu quickly obtained the items Prefect He handed to He Mingya. Mingya claimed she knew nothing and wasn’t lying, because those items included not only the accounts of bribery and embezzlement involving Yu City’s officials over the years but also detailed how they courted favor with their superiors.

Additionally, there was a blood letter, which detailed in blood the pervasive corruption among officials in the Northern Region and their lust for the disaster relief funds allocated by the imperial court. Even before the funds were in hand, they had already been divided up and were attempting to coerce Prefect He to join them under the guise of sharing the spoils and promising promotions.

Prefect He refused, so they isolated and threatened him, even using his family’s lives as leverage. Forced into a corner, he feigned compliance while secretly collecting evidence of their crimes, preparing to hide the disaster silver as soon as it arrived...

A long blood letter, written with heart and soul, every word denouncing the corruption of the Northern Region’s officialdom and showing compassion for the common people, stirring deep emotions.

A few are true to Beiyan and to the honor of their official attire, making one’s throat tighten.

Ah Jiu put down the blood letter, with one hand behind his back, pressing his other hand against his congested heart, letting out a long breath.

Being an official is not easy, being a good official is harder, and being an official praised as pure as clear sky is even more difficult.

Some have strayed off the path, some have stumbled, and some have lost their lives; yet, they never speak of regret, just like Prefect He.

Ah Jiu flipped the thick account book and slapped his hand on it, saying, "Let Commander Du’s men get to work."

All of them deserve to die!

One command after another was sent out, and that night, many officials were suddenly snatched from their beds as if they were little chickens, while others were hauled off their fair-skinned, beautiful mistresses in disarrayed clothing.

It all happened so abruptly, yet seemed somewhat inevitable.

Marquis Xuanwu was also taken to the jailhouse, but he wasn’t panicked, only cried out his innocence, while secretly bribing the prison guards to gather information, learning Prefect He’s daughter was in Ah Jiu’s hands, which made him half furious.

The little wench, nowhere to be found, was located by Ah Jiu; he thought Ah Jiu’s efforts were in vain.

Damn, truly a biting dog doesn’t bark!

But knowing Ah Jiu only had the embezzlement case in his grip, the marquis let out a slight sigh of relief, as knowing about that thing meant there was still a chance, and Yanzhou was his turf. Ah Jiu wanted to take him down, but he was still too green.

The marquis, in prison, kept shouting his grievances while secretly sending out several messages, unaware that Ah Jiu was just waiting for him.

Attempts to assassinate He Mingya came in waves, as did efforts to steal the account book Ah Jiu had obtained, even setting fire to the study.

These were anticipated events, and handling them wasn’t difficult.

What enraged Ah Jiu was that Marquis Xuanwu actually incited a military coup. The first to move was the camp on Yu City’s side, under Great Marshal Gao’s command, and the one rebelling was the young lieutenant Yang Kuan who had once had flower wine with Ah Jiu.

Yu City stirred, as did Yanzhou; the marquis held authority over 80,000 troops, and his trusted generals claimed that Ah Jiu was wrongfully accusing a loyal general, surrounding the villa demanding his release, even inciting chaos among troops and civilians in Yanzhou City, causing robbery, vandalism, and arson, urging citizens to flock to Ah Jiu’s manor to demand the marquis be freed to quell the chaos.

"Let Great Marshal Gao take action; I reckon he’s been waiting for this opportunity for a long time!" Ah Jiu ordered coldly, watching the circle of ignorant civilians swarming outside the villa.

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